Emporia State’s School of Business named best value

July 7, 2011

Emporia State University students earning business degrees don’t have to break the bank to achieve their goals, a fact that has drawn national notice. U.S. News and World Report named ESU’s School of Business the best value for in-state students in a report released July 6, 2011.

ESU topped the list of the 10 Least Expensive Public Business Schools for In-State Students with its 2010-11 total of $5,404 for tuition and fees. The average cost of tuition and required fees at the 10 least expensive programs is $9,589 annually. The average cost of the 10 most expensive schools was $34,698 for in-state business students.

“We are certainly glad to have national recognition of the affordability of our program,” said Dr. James Williams, vice-president of academic affairs at ESU. “But our students find so many more benefits in the School of Business, including prestigious global accreditation, small class sizes and quality faculty.”

The school is accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate School of Business (AACSB-International), a designation held by less than 5 percent of business schools worldwide. It also is home to the Center for Business and Economic Development, the Kansas Small Business Development Center and the Kansas Business Hall of Fame.

Students enjoy undergraduate classes that average 26 students and graduate courses that average 19 students, taught by a total of 30 faculty members, all of whom have doctorate or master’s degrees. After earning their degrees, more than 97 percent of graduates are placed in jobs within six to nine months after graduation.

ESU is no stranger to U.S. News’ rankings. Emporia State was named a first-tier regional university in the 2011 U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Colleges.”

To develop the lists of business schools, U.S. News surveyed more than 400 schools. Schools self-reported a myriad of data regarding their academic programs and the makeup of their student body, among other areas, making U.S. News' data the most accurate and detailed collection of college facts and figures of its kind.

Emporia State University began in 1863 as an exemplary teachers education college two years after Kansas became a state and soon blossomed into a comprehensive regional university known for its rich tradition of excellence. Today, the university offers more than 60 academic areas of study that lead to bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees and certificate programs in four colleges. It is known for empowering Kansans to better their lives through small classes in a caring but rigorous academic environment.